Marine Headline News
Secrets
of deployment don’t go unnoticed - I
am glad to be back in Okinawa from my recent deployment to
Thailand where I worked primarily with members of other
services, which was a change for me. What has not changed is
the common misconception some people still have. Some service
members think they can break any rule they choose while away
from home, and no one will talk about it when they return home
because “what happens on deployment stays on deployment.”
When
someone gives into temptation while abroad they say the same
old phrase, and whoever coined it would be a multibillionaire
if he received a nickel every time it was spoken.
I
do not know why some believe deploying to another country
means they can throw away all of their values and stop abiding
by the rules. I’m not just talking about the Uniform Code of
Military Justice, but the values we live by daily.
While
in Thailand there was a buddy rule for all ranks, much like
the buddy rules we have in Japan for our junior Marines.
However, due to civil unrest in the southern part of Thailand,
our first general order was to always have a liberty buddy
while out in town.
It
was common to see a lieutenant colonel waiting around for his
liberty buddy before heading out into town. But like the
“10-percent” here, some deployed personnel ignored the
rule and headed to markets, malls and shops without an
authorized buddy.
In
some reported incidents in Thailand, personnel would come to a
hotel drunk, act disorderly and argue with hotel staff about
why they could not let their new Thai girlfriends, who I
assume they just met that day, up to their rooms.
The
girlfriend thing is a great transition into why I really wrote
this. Why did I see men who told me they have girlfriends, and
others wearing bands, out in clubs drinking with women and
leaving with them? It doesn’t just happen in Thailand. It
happens everywhere I have deployed, and I have heard similar
stories from service members deploying all over the world. It
is not a problem for everyone, but it is known by some who
pretend to look the other way and tell the stories when they
come home.
The
reality is that fraternization, adultery and acting like a
total idiot seems to be a part of deployment for some, but
luckily not for all. I have always heard stories with these
underlying themes. Why? Because some genius has lead us to
believe that what goes on during a deployment stays on the
deployment. I spoke with some fellow service members about
this face-to-face, but they are responsible for their own
actions. If my opinion was heeded or not, is completely on
them. If the sea-stories really did stay on deployment, I
wouldn’t be writing this.
Does
a sexually transmitted disease stay on deployment? Does guilt
stay on deployment? Can a marriage or relationship last once
you have strayed from the one you love? If you can look
someone in the face after betraying their trust and confidence
in you while deployed, your conscious is nothing like mine.
You should never again counsel a Marine about his Corps
Values. How can you or anyone who was witness to your
transgressions take you seriously ever again?
God
forgives the rule breakers and life goes on after the Marine
Corps, but guilt on the heart can last for life. Forgiving
yourself can be so hard that you just run from it any way you
can. You may even run so far, you leave behind the ones you
love.
When
you see someone being an “ugly American” at a movie
theater or in a club, it won’t hurt if you speak to them
about their inappropriate behavior. They might not appreciate
it at the time, but, later they may; especially if their
significant other discovers “what happens on deployment
never stays on deployment.”
Staff
Sgt. Mikey Niman (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl.
Jonathan K. Teslevich) (Released)
